Read the article about a robbery and answer the questions.
Ø Who was the painting of?
Ø How did the thief escape with the painting?
GUNMAN STEALS £650,000 PICASSO
A thief stopped a taxi outside the Hilton hotel at midday yesterday and asked to go to the Lefevre Gallery in central London. Giving the driver a £10 tip to wait, he walked into the private gallery and asked the value of Picasso's Tête de femme. The portrait of Picasso's girlfriend, Dora Maar, was painted in 1939 and is valued at £650,000.
'He seemed very civilised until he pulled out his gun,' said Camilla Bois, one of two assistants in the gallery when the thief entered.
He demanded the picture from the other assistant, Jacqueline Cartwright. 'He looked like an art student with long hair,' she said. He told her he had a gun and he wanted the picture. He told her to get it off the wall, but she said she could not. The man then pulled the picture from the wall and ran out of the gallery. The whole operation took 35 seconds.
At the taxi, the thief pointed the gun at the driver and demanded to be taken to Wimbledon, south-west London.
Grammar questions
- Find and underline two examples of direct speech (words in quotation marks) and two examples of reported speech in the text.
- Look at these examples of reported speech from the text:
a) He told her he had a gun and he wanted the picture.
b) she said she could not.
Which of the sentences below, i) or ii), do you think were the original words?
a) i) Ive got a gun and want the picture.
ii) 'Do as I say because I've got a gun. Give me that picture now.'
b) i) 'I can't.'
ii) 'I'm sorry, I can't do that.'
- What is the basic rule about the use of tenses in reported speech? Complete the spaces by filling in the space in the right-hand column.
DIRECT SPEECH
REPORTED SPEECH
I dont have any money.
Present Simple
Past Simple
I said that I (1) ___________________ any money.
Im feeling well.
Present Continuous
Past Continuous
Peter said that he (2) ___________________ well.
I woke up feeling very ill.
Past Simple
Past Perfect
She said that she (3) ___________________ feeling very ill.
They were playing tennis at 10.
Past Continuous
Past Perfect Continuous
She said that they (4) ___________________ tennis at 10.
I have had a driving licence for a month.
Present Perfect
Past Perfect
She said that she (5) ___________________ a driving licence for a month.
I have been working in my present job for a year.
Present Perfect Continuous
Past Perfect Continuous
I said that I (6)
___________________ in my present job for a year.
Paul had already gone home.
Past Perfect
Past Perfect
She said that Paul (7) ___________________ home.
It had been raining at night.
Past Perfect Continuous
Past Perfect Continuous
He said that it (8) ___________________ at night.
will, can, may, must
Other changes
Other changes
would, could, might, had to
- What is the basic rule about the use of pointer words in reported speech? ('Pointer words' are words referring to specific times and places, e.g. 'this', 'now', 'here', 'tomorrow'.)
